11 Days Madagascar Tour

When you land in Tana, you’ll be met and assisted at the airport before being driven to your accommodation. You will be met by one of our representatives at your hotel, where they will give you all of your travel paperwork and give you a tour briefing. The hotel will be your home for the evening.

After breakfast, you will have a three to four hour drive through the lush eastern countryside to reach Andasibe. This phase takes us to a humid region of the country with a lot of primary forest and lakes. You’ll be spending the night in a hotel.

You will embark on a 3- to 4-hour guided walk through the Andasibe National Park, an enormous tropical rainforest in the east, in the morning. There are 9 different types of lemurs that can be seen, with the “Indri Indri”—the largest lemur on the island—standing out. Numerous unusual wildlife species live in this 810-ha reserve as well. It has a large variety of endemic orchids, a canopy, chameleons, tenrecs, and many different species of birds. You will visit Andasibe village, a typical Betsimisaraka (the-many-inseparable) community that relies primarily on agriculture, after the hike. The finest place to snap pictures of lemurs is in the private park of Vakona in the “islands of lemurs.”

After breakfast, you will travel through the highland terrain with its lovely terraced rice fields and dramatic eroded hills known as “Lavaka” on your way to Antsirabe. Ambatolampy, an agricultural city famed for its aluminum recycling facilities that we might visit during the workweek, will have an optional stop. For the next hour, you’ll be traveling through rural areas with fields of rice and vegetables, rivers, and villages with thatched roofs. Nearly the entire nation receives its grains and veggies from this region. If there is time, you will arrive in Antsirabe and do brief city excursions before visiting a workshop that creates “pousse pousse” and miniature automobiles.

Continue south to Ambositra, the heart of Madagascar’s wood carving industry and the home of the Zafimaniry tribe. After that, you will proceed to Ranomafana National Park to spend the night there before returning to the hotel. Ambositra, the capital of the Zafimaniry tribe, is a great spot to see specimens of Malagasy wood carvings. Its name, meaning “the place of the eunuchs,” is allegedly a result of the Merina tribe castrating all victorious warriors of the local tribe. The shutters, panels, and balconies on the neighborhood’s homes are all artistically carved.

You will spend the morning spelunking in Ranomafana’s jungles in search of the region’s numerous lemur, reptile, and bird species. You will have some free time this afternoon before going on an optional night walk along the park’s perimeter to look for nocturnal animals. is one of Madagascar’s most picturesque national parks, and it was founded in the early 1990s to safeguard the critically endangered greater bamboo lemur and the recently discovered golden bamboo lemur. The park is covered with forest, and in higher elevations, lichens and moss have grown on the trees, giving them an ancient appearance. This endangered forest is a lovely and uncommon site to discover because of exotic vegetation like orchids, mountains, waterfalls, and natural hot springs.

You will have a one-hour trip to Fianarantsoa, the country’s second largest city, in the morning. The majority of the top schools are located in this Catholic religious hub. The capital of the Betsileo tribes is Fianarantsoa, often known as “the gate of the South.” The best university is located there, as it is the home of the Jesuits. Then continue driving for an hour south to Ambalavao, where you can stop for a wine tasting and visit a winery since Ambalavao is the hub of the Philippine wine industry. You will next need to drive for 30 minutes to reach Anja, a village-run park where a portion of the money collected is used to pay the school’s teachers.

The expansive red dirt of the “plateaux de Horombe,” which reminds us of “no man’s land,” will be a part of our journey. A Bara man carrying a rifle may be seen moving in convoy with a number of zebus. Once you get to Isalo, you’ll spend the night there.

Today will be spent strolling through the lunar landscape of Isalo National Park. Stop at the wonderfully formed “natural swimming pool” for a refreshing plunge. Later, you’ll make your way to a magnificent rock arch to take in the setting sun over this imposing environment. is in the south of the country and is very different from other of Madagascar’s other parks in that it is mostly made up of attractively sculpted sandstone rocks. The park is well-known for the vibrant colors of the surrounding landscape, stunning panoramic views, and an atmosphere of complete serenity. The nearby Bara tribe, who use caves in the rocks as burial grounds, likewise reveres this place. At Isalo, you will be on your feet for the majority of the day, so get used to it.

You will move on to Tulear after leaving Isalo behind. You might pause while traveling through the Mahafaly people’s territory to observe the customary tombs where their deceased were interred. You will change at Tulear and travel to Ifaty, a coastal town. A “spiny forest” of cacti and other arid-adapted plants predominates in the severely dry area surrounding Ifaty. Our lodging is idyllically located on a stunning beach with a view of the Indian Ocean, where we can observe the local fishermen launch their boats as dusk falls. It’s a stunning area of Madagascar, perfect for relaxation or exploration. Ifaty is a picturesque region of Madagascar that receives plenty of sun and looks out over the Mozambique Channel on its southwest coast. Ifaty, where the native Vezo people reside, is a great area to go diving or snorkeling or just to unwind and watch the waves lapping the shore.

Today is a free day to relax or explore. Ifaty has excellent diving and snorkeling options and is home to coral reefs. The adjoining village of Mangily is also reachable on foot, and there we can gain a valuable understanding of the way of life of the nearby Vezo fishing population. Every excursion is bookable through the hotel and cost is paid locally. The finest months to view the migration of the humpback whales are July and August.

Following breakfast, you’ll be transported by flight to Antananarivo. After you arrive in Tana, you will be taken to the hotel for some rest. You will be flown back to your home country.